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TORONTO -- After a year of tapping into a well of miracle finishes, the Calgary Stampeders finally reached the bottom and couldn't find one more when they truly needed it.

Outplayed and outschemed, the Stampeders' trip to the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto will be remembered, ultimately, as a disappointment that overshadowed a splendid regular season during which they overcame obstacle after obstacle.

But not on Sunday. The Stamps shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties and turnovers and were flattered by the end result, a 35-22 win by the Toronto Argonauts in front of a Rogers Centre crowd of 53,208.

It's the Argos' first Grey Cup triumph since 2004 and their record 16th overall -- not to mention their sixth straight win (including regular season) over the Stampeders.

After two steady playoff performances in which the Stamps were able to hold onto the football and keep flags in the officials' pockets, they managed neither on Sunday. Two first-half turnovers led to Argo touchdowns and, in the second, what would have been a momentum-shifting 105-yard kick return touchdown from Larry Taylor was negated by a Keon Raymond holding penalty.

It was that kind of night; the Stamps took 99 yards in penalties.

Any glimmer of a comeback -- Calgary had cut the lead to 13 points with around seven minutes to play in the game -- were snuffed out by a play that was all too typical of an undisciplined evening. A 15-yard no-yards flag for Keenan MacDougall piled on a Derrius Brooks late hit penalty moved the ball 30 yards downfield and two plays later, the coup de grace was delivered -- a seven-yard Ricky Ray to Andre Durie touchdown pass.

Argos running back Chad Kackert -- briefly a Stampeder in 2010 -- was named the game's MVP, rushing for 133 yards and making eight catches for 62 yards.

A week after taking the B.C. Lions to school in the West Division final, it was the Stampeders who looked like the students on Sunday and it was the Argos doing the teaching.

The Stamps had a near-perfect start; first Malik Jackson delivered a crunching hit on Chad Owens on the game's opening kickoff, and then Quincy Butler picked off Ray on the Argos' first play from scrimmage right in front of the Toronto bench.

But an inspired Toronto defence, with ex-Stamps defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones at the helm, forced the two-and-out punt, and then got a break on the next Calgary drive when Cornish bumped the ball out of Glenn's hands and defensive end Ricky Foley made the recovery.

On the ensuing possession, Toronto caught another break when Demonte' Bolden's facemask penalty nullified a second-down stop, and Ray took advantage moments later with a five-yard touchdown pass to Chad Owens to open the scoring.

It got worse early in the second quarter when, for the second straight week, Glenn was victimized by a pick-six; Pacino Horne stepped in front of a pass that had no Stampeder within 10 yards and took it back 25 yards for the major.

The Stamps had chances but the Argo defence was splendid, first stuffing Matt Walter on a third-down gamble for another turnover, and then Marcus Ball read a Stampeder play call perfectly, hauling down Romby Bryant for a loss on an end-around attempt from the three-yard line, forcing a short Rene Paredes field goal that cut Toronto's lead to 17-6.

The Argos then struck back with a crushing touchdown drive, thanks largely to Dontrelle Inman's wonderful catch at the Calgary one-yard line; the drive was finished by Jarious Jackson's short touchdown pass to Inman and Calgary had dug itself into a huge hole after 30 minutes.

Down 24-6 at the half, the Stamps had a chance to make a dent on the scoreboard and in the Argos' momentum; they had a nice drive in the third quarter, only to come up short when Nik Lewis was stopped two yards short of the first-down marker. Instead of a make-or-break gamble, Calgary settled for a 27-yard field goal.

It would happen again in the fourth quarter; the Stamps had the ball deep in Toronto territory and a third-and-six and rather than a dire-straits gamble, they settled for another Paredes shortie, from 16 yards.

But thoughts of the comeback were dashed by the penalties on a Rob Maver punt.

Calgary finally hit the end zone with a Bo Levi Mitchell touchdown pass to Maurice Price with 20 seconds on the clock. The two hooked up again on a two-point conversion.

Glenn finished the night 14-for-27 for 222 yards and the interception; the lone offensive bright light was Lewis, who made six catches for 100 yards.

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Argos defence ends Stampeders' season of miracles

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